WORTH WATCHING

Watch: Buzzfeed's Fun Short Film About the Demise of Video Stores

"If someone had already rented the movie that you wanted, you just couldn't watch it." Remember video stores? Those places where you could go, rent copies of movies, browse racks of thousands of obscure titles, meet new friends. If you're a reader of this site, you probably grew up with video stores like all of us did. We all watched as Blockbuster slowly began to die at the hands of the digital revolution, with iPads, iPhones & iTunes taking over, not to mention the power of Netflix. Well, for a fun trip down memory lane, BuzzFeed (via SlashFilm) put together a short video titled "Video Stores Explained to Modern Kids" recapping the experience and, frankly, what was so cool (believe it!) about the classic video store. Check this out below.

Love this line from the video: "Now video stores have gone the way of the American Buffalo - there's barely any left." There's also a hilarious tag on YouTube. "WARNING: Depending on your age, this will probably make you ache for your childhood." So true. I miss the days when my brother and I would wander to the back of the local VHS video store and find some obscure title that we just had to watch. Where else would we have seen Robot Jox and Ski Patrol? Nowadays it's impossible to just "stumble upon" something obscure unless you're specifically seeking it out. How times have changed. The two video stores featured in this are Cinefile Video in Los Angeles or Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee in North Hollywood. Good times?

Reader Feedback - 12 Comments

1

We have a Family Video in town and I rent there every chance I get...

Bl00dwerK on Oct 25, 2013

2

No wonder I can't find anywhere to get videotapes!

TheOct8pus on Oct 25, 2013

3

I liked the searching part of video stores when I was a kid, also loved the cover art that mostly made me decide on whether or not I would get my parents to hire it out. they often threw out old displays in the skip at the back too, that my friend and I would take home, but were rarely allowed to keep. 🙁

Oh crap that takes me way back. I used to walk from the house across a dirt lot (which is now an aprtment complex) to get to The Movie Stop which was owned and operated by twin brothers (they now own and operate a Cascade bottled water franchise). That's where I remember seeing the VHS covers for movies like This is Spinal Tap, Airlpane! and Amazon Women on the Moon. I admit I am a willing victim of today's technology, but damn those were fun times indeed.

theslayer5150 on Oct 25, 2013

5

Eh I'm never going to feel sorry for Blockbuster. They rolled into town and pushed our local independent video store out of business, so to me it just feels like they're getting their comeuppance.

OrionComplex on Oct 25, 2013

6

I liked Blockbuster, Though they could never sort out a pricing structure that made any sense to me. When he Family Video down the road was doing 1 dollar new releases BB had 5 bucks for 5 night new releases, 3 dollar for 2 nights and like 30 other ideas that failed. Funnily Family Video is still there and doing better than ever. I will be sad when they are gone, I love going to the video store.

Brian Sleider on Oct 26, 2013

7

In Ireland we have Xtra Vision and it had to close a lot of stores and nearly went bust but has been bought over and the store in my town is still open. Even though I don't rent a lot from it I get loads of great deals on ex-rental Blu-Rays to help boost my collection.

Alistair Stewart on Oct 26, 2013

8

I'm sorry Netflix did to you what you did to thousands of other video stores, Blockbuster. In fact Netflix has kind of returned video stores to the small business owners, who can now offer all those VHSs of movies that never came out on DVD. Who knows how long that will last, but they're still there for now, if you know where to look.

Boiler Bro Joe on Oct 26, 2013

9

I love the video store! All the stores where I used to live closed. So I gotta go and check out if there are any around here.

Whenever I visit friends in various neighborhoods one of the biggest complaints is that they closed the local video store. The irony is that steaming a new release rental is more expensive than it was to rent at the local video store and there is far less overhead streaming.

Jim Dawkins on Oct 30, 2013

11

I'm confident mankind will survive the loss of the video store. It wasn't all that long ago there was no such thing as a DVD or a VHS tape. If you didn't see the movie in the theater, you waited a couple of years to see it on network TV.

Crni_Vuk on Nov 10, 2013

12

The modern generation consumers aren't that passionate and patient about waiting for something they want. They don't even know if they want it or not. They wish to have it instantly, and then they'll decide if they needed it at all. It's like, they have a lot to watch but nothing to remember. Video stores were something to remember. But, again, for a different generation, I guess.